Suburban Mermaid Ch 1

Suburban Mermaid


A contemporary, sleek, free flowing blue dress.  Heels, or hells as she prefers to call them, with a low rise toe and lined with a subtle glittery sheen that didn't distract from her professional appearance.  A clutch purse, blue and white,  and containing a polished résumé, this she carried at her side.  A brooch of a purple rose with small glass orbs that made it appear to have just come in from the rain, though she was completely dry.  Blonde hair, tied in a professional ponytail, held in place with a nautilus shaped barette that was so realistic it might have came from the deepest reaches of the sea.  Celia was all set for her job interview, and had prepared for this moment so carefully that they wouldn’t let her leave without offering her the top job in the place.
“You sure this is really the place you want to work?  A scientific lab?”
She held a confident smile as she looked back at me.  Maybe I was apprehensive.  I mean, the last thing we wanted was to find any of us within a scientific laboratory.  Maybe I didn’t know exactly what kind of subjects Chase Labs studied, but that worried me even more.  Examined.  Under microscopes.  Poked and prodded.  I didn’t want to see my best friend fricasseed on some scientist’s open fire.
“This is where I want to be, Blake.  Trust me.”
I leaned against the car that brought us here, my beloved rusty Subaru Forester.  Blue paneling and white interior.  This car has saved my life since I moved to Santa Barbara.  If I wasn’t so worried about what Celia was about to do, I might even tell you more about how.
“You’re not getting cold fins now, are you?”
“Me?” I asked.  “I don’t have fins.  I’m human.  Aren’t you?”
“You know you love it when I talk Ariel.”
“I also know I can’t talk you out of this.”  I crossed my arms and adjusted my loose jeans.  “You want me to come in, or wait here?”
“The guard at the gate only gave us one pass.  I shouldn’t be long.  Wish me luck!”  She turned her tail and went towards the main enterance, using the badge on a card pad before pulling open the glass doors.  
I watched her walk a glass lined walkway before disappering into the complex.  After making my way back to the driver’s seat, I pulled down the mirror to check myself, as I always do when I get into the car.  My face was clean, as it always is.  Except for my soul patch.  No soul without a soul patch.  That’s my motto.  My brown hair was parted to the side, my aviator sunglasses were cracked, and have been for a few months.  Still need to replace them.  I don’t wear perscription glasses, but I feel like I should have had them that day.
Maybe I should write about her.  You wanted to hear about her, didn’t you?

She approached the front receptionist, noticing the young man behind the counter who was wearing a security uniform.  “Welcome to Chase Labs.  You must be Miss Broderson?”
Celia nodded.  “Hello, I’m Celia.”  She offered her hand.
The receptionist returned it.  “Jim Hoven.”
“Nice to meet you.  The guard at the booth said to expect you.”
“Yes, when you’re attempting to hire a front desk receptionist someone else has to fill the slots.”  He rose.  “I’m going to show you to one of our HR staff members for the interview.”
Celia followed him past a secured door into a white hallway that resembled a hospital’s, complete with a wooden chair rail.  In front of them was an elevator, and Jim pushed the call button.    
“May I ask who manned the position before?”
“A woman named Candice.  She still works here, but has been promoted to a different position.”
“There’s advancement?  Fantastic!”
“Well, I wouldn’t get too excited.” The elevator opened and Jim ushered Celia inside.  He then pushed the button for the second floor.  The doors closed.
Celia noted how the elevator only had buttons for the second floor, the main floor, and a basement.  “How large is this facility?”
“Sorry, I’m not allowed to answer that,” Jim replied as the elevator came to a stop.  When the doors opened, he headed into another white-walled hallway, coming to a reception area diagonally across the hall.  Inside, there was a couch and some side tables.  It was more of a lounge than an office.  Her eyes were drawn to the fishtank in the corner of the space by the windows.
“Take a seat wherever you like.  In a few moments, the interviewer will arrive.”
“Are there any other applicants?”
Jim gave a gentle smile.  “Again, not allowed to answer that.  They don’t let me answer questions unless a person has security clearance.”
“But, I have a security pass,” Celia held it up.
“A visitor pass.  If I can tell you anything, it’s this.  The Chase Labs complex is a very secure facility.  If you are allowed to know what goes on in here, then you are somebody.  If you don’t, you may still be somebody, but to the security staff, you’re probably someone who needs to be elsewhere.  That may not seem very friendly, but its way we’re trained.”
“You let me in the door, Jim, so I must be somebody.”
“Your interviewer will be along in a few moments.  Make yourself comfortable, but please stay in this area.  Know that there are cameras everywhere.”
“But I didn’t see-”
“And you won’t.”  He smiled again. “I have to return to the front desk.  Good luck.”

Celia waited patiently, admiring the fish tank in the corner of the room.  Saltwater.  Reef tank.  Large structure of coral in the middle.  All the fish were doing well, they said.  Guess they liked the people here.
"What do you mean, are you her?" Celia asked.
Just then, she noticed that the elevator in the hall signaled.  The doors opened and two women exited.  A brunette in street clothes was talking to another brunette, who was carrying a clipboard and wearing more of a buisness casual suit despite wearing tennis shoes.  It was tough to tell from this distance, but the woman seemed to have purple streaks in her hair.
The woman wearing street clothes had been talking.  "Of course, I could never run away from something like that.  Running causes me to-" She stopped suddenly.
"I'll catch up with you later, Michelle."  The woman in the buisness suit exited, leaving the other woman in the elevator.  When the doors closed, the woman in the suit came into the lounge.  "Hi there.  You must be Celia?"
Celia gave her full attention to the woman immediately, rising and offering a handshake.  "That's me.  Celia Broderson."
The two shook hands.  "My name is Dr. Megan Tereson.  I'm a part-time researcher and also one of the staffers here at Chase Labs.  Dr. Chase asked me to find a receptionist, and it's nice that someone answered the ad."
"Am I the only one?" Celia asked as she sat across from the fish tank.
Megan smiled.  "No, there were a few others.  They say nothing in life is guaranteed, after all."  She sat on a couch next to the fish tank and crossed her legs before holding up the clipboard.  "The first few questions want me to make sure you're who you are."
"I can only be myself, Dr. Tereson."
"Please, call me Megan."  She made a note on the clipboard with a pencil.  "Tell me about yourself."
"I'm an inquisitive person, who is often interested on how things work and what makes things tick.  I'm also a vegan, but not into PETA or for any moral reasons," Celia replied.
"Hang on a moment," Megan put down the clipboard.  "Can you tell me about yourself in a way that tells me who you are, and not who your résumé says you are?"
"Okay," Celia smiled.  "I like the ocean, sunsets, and am always trying to learn about the world around me.  If its new and I haven't seen it before, I try to learn more about that item.  I ask questions, I take notes.  I have a spreadsheet of stuff, you name it I've done research on it.  I'm always looking for anything exciting or interesting."
"Do you like our aquarium?" Megan asked.
"It's very lovely, though I wonder if the clown fish resents being called Nemo."  She gasped a bit before giggling slightly.
"His name is actually Gus, a name given to him by one of our consultants.  In fact, that consultant also designed the tank."
"Has a woman named Shelly Starsetter worked here at one time?" Celia asked.
Megan leaned forward.  "Have you met Miss Starsetter?"
"No, I'm afraid not.  But I friend of mine has, and she said she works here."
Megan shook her head.  "You might want to check your story.  Shelly has been a consultant for Chase Labs in the past, but I cannot say if she has ever recieved an official paycheck."
"Oh," Celia replied.  "I'm sorry."
"To be honest, there are a lot of things that happen in this building that cannot be discussed outside of the job.  Would you be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement?"
"Would that be a condition of the job?"
Megan nodded.  "But simply signing that will not mean you have the position just yet."
"Certainly," Celia said.  "I was hoping for a researcher position, but someone that I trust encouraged me to get my foot in the door and worry about moving up later."
"Can you tell me who told you that?"
"My Aunt Brooklyn," Celia replied after a moment of hesitation.  "Ever since I moved out of my parent's place, she's shown me around Los Angeles and helped me get settled."
Megan held up the clipboard.  "Yes, it looks like you've worked at a day care, a bookstore, a newspaper, a Target, and a day clinic."
"At the day clinic, I worked the front desk, answered phones, occasional emails, and did some light typing," Celia replied.
"You say you're a vegan?"
Celia nodded.  "I'm not against cows being killed or anything, but I've never really enjoyed the texture of ground meat.  Burgers aren't interesting, and I don't much care for chicken or anything that ever flew.  Though I do enjoy cheese on my broccoli."
"I thought you said you were a vegan?  Do you eat cheese?"
Celia nodded.
"I think that would make you just a vegetarian, they usually eat cheese or the occasional dairy product."
Celia smiled nervously.  "I guess I have more research to do."
"Don't be hard on yourself," Megan smiled, "this isn't a research position you're applying for."
"Yes, but all I've proven to you is that I don't complete my research projects."  Celia gazed toward the door.  "I hope I haven't wasted your time."
"Don't be silly, I feel like we're on the same page."  Megan flipped her page on the clipboard.  "Let me ask you this.  Let's say you got the job and are working the front desk.  Someone comes in who doesn't have a guest pass and begins to ask questions about what is taking place in the Special Invention Lab.  What would you say to them?"
"I would say that I'm not authorized to answer that question and that if they do not have a guest pass that they will have to speak with security."
"And then?" Megan asked.
"Then I would contact security to ensure that the buildings remain secure and that nobody makes it inside without the proper clearance."
"Okay, good," Megan made a mark on her clipboard.  "What do you know about boats?"
"I grew up trying to stay away from them," Celia replied with a chuckle.
"Oh?  What do you mean by that?"
Celia hesitated.  "I grew up in a marina, on a floating house.  My neighbors weren't the friendly sort."
"Oh," Megan nodded and made a few more notes.  "How fast can you type?"

That's about how the interview went.  An hour later, I woke up from my nap to find Celia knocking on the roof of the car.  She was outside the passenger door.
"Well?" I asked.
"Can you unlock the door?"
I did so, and she climbed in.  "How'd it go?"
Celia didn't respond, buckling up her seatbelt.
"Do I need to swing by a DQ between here and Santa Barbara?"
Celia nodded.

Two hours later, I dropped Celia off at our townhouse.  Hers was number 11, one of many townhomes located within the Deveroux Vista housing development.  I know she wouldn't be happy if I didn't give you a little backstory on the place - and probably wouldn't be happy either if she knew I was writing about this place.  But, I consider myself her friend first and a researcher second.  So here goes.
Mermaids are living with humans.  On land.  And walking around like us.  There, I said it.  Maybe that's what I'm really trying to do here.  Are we clear?  Good.  Let's move on.
There are twenty townhomes, and about fifteen of them are two story structures while five of them are single story dwellings.  The houses are arrainged in a kidney shaped circle, all of which lead out to a massive swimming area, serviced by a road along the outside.  Before a thick wooden fence on the outside, every house has a garage which is actually across the road because none of them are connected.  Most of the houses have three bedrooms, although recently no more than two people lived in any of the houses.  
Owning this housing development was a woman named Brooklyn, an older woman who - I assume - is a mermaid, like everyone else who lives in the complex.  I share a house with Celia, but let me tell you, as the only full blooded human allowed, my quest to be allowed to is quite a story.  I guess I can't really tell you unless I start at the beginning.
Want to hear it?